SGETrek
by SabrinaOfWoodsBeyond
Summary: SGE Star Trek AU. Sophie has always dreamed of escaping the provincial hick town of Gavaldon and traveling the galaxy in style. Agatha just wants to be a normal, contributing member of society. Neither dreamed that, despite the overwhelming odds, they'd both end up at the prestigious Starfleet Academy. What kind of trail will the two girls blaze on the final frontier?
1. Episode 1 - Pilot (Part 1)

**A/N: So yeah, I really did this. I actually wrote an SGE/Star Trek crossover. But wait! Before you go, let me just say that you absolutely don't need to know anything about Star Trek to read this. Basically the idea is: it's SGE. Except in space. With two rival Starships instead of two rival schools. Of course, before that, we see the SGE kids go through Starfleet Academy, where they train to be crew members of said Starships. Sounds doable, right? Anyway, I'll try to make this as readable for those not acclimated with Star Trek or Sci-Fi as possible, so bear with me!**

 **Note: This is a repost from tumblr. You can follow me there at sabrinaofwoodsbeyond for quicker updates! Before I forget, huge thanks to tagathaofwoodsbeyond for brainstorming with me and editing, and another huge thanks to ladylesso for being so supportive! Now, without further ado:**

Sophie had waited her entire life to be kidnapped. Or to run away. Or even better, be _whisked_ away by a dashing prince on a gleaming white steed. Either way, ever since she could remember, her greatest wish was to somehow escape dreary, provincial Gavaldon and make a name for herself out in the real world.

But not today.

Not like this.

Not even a wardrobe full of designer clothes, hundreds of bottles of her favorite beauty supplies, or the knowledge that she had moved to sunny California, less than an hour away from a beach full of tanned dreamboats who would surely fawn over her, could comfort her now.

Not when that knowledge came with the fact that she was currently sulking on her miserable new bed in her miserable, drafty, and utterly drab Starfleet Academy dorm room, and she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

* * *

Of course, when Sophie's father forced her to take the Starfleet Academy entrance exam, she'd thought it was just another punishment, and an unfair one at that. Sure, she had skipped more than her fair share of shifts at Bartleby's. But the most glamorous, popular girl in Gavaldon couldn't be caught working at some two-bit deli alongside her haggish stepmother! It would be mortifying! It would be a scandal! It would ruin her! But, because her father couldn't see the clear logic in this, he was content to torment her by trapping her in a room full of smelly, nerdy, starfleet-wannabe _losers_ for three and a half hours. She was actually a bit impressed; it was far more creative (and inescapable) than his usual punishments.

Which is why when, two weeks later, Sophie received the news that her letter of recommendation (written by either her father himself or an old Federation friend of his, she suspected) had been approved and she had been accepted for the upcoming semester, she simply didn't have time to pout, bargain, or reason her way out of it. Not content to give up without a fight but too panicked to come up with a plan, Sophie was reduced to standing in the middle of her room, helpless, alternating between gawking in disbelief at her acceptance letter and at her father, Stefan, who was merrily packing her bags for her.

"N-now, Father," she started, finally breaking out of her shock-induced trance, "don't you think this is a bit drastic? Do you really need to send me away for skipping one or two shifts at the deli?"

"Twelve shifts," he reminded her gruffly. "Twelve shifts where Honora was manning the shop alone, for half the money. And no, making you volunteer at the senior center for skipping your chores last summer was drastic. This is common sense."

Sophie shuddered at the memory of cleaning out the seniors' bedpans, feeding them tapioca pudding, and staring at their wrinkled old faces as they prattled on and on about mysterious pains and daytime TV and god knows what else. Unwilling to be distracted by his past crimes, she reminded herself of the urgency of the situation at hand and shook herself out of it.

"But Father, we don't even know if they have everything I _need_ there! I might just waste away! I mean, think about it: will they really be able to accommodate my vegetarian diet–"

"That you don't need to be on," Stefan interjected.

"My gluten allergy," Sophie continued.

"That doesn't exist."

"My lactose intolerance,"

"You had a stomachache after eating ice cream when you were six."

"My dry skin, which I need a precise blend of cucumbers and honeycream to counteract,"

"Your skin is fine. And even if it wasn't, normal moisturizer would work."

"Or my life threatening reactions to processed sugars and cheap metals?"

"Which have never happened!" Stefan cried, fed up.

"Father, this isn't–"

"Sophie, you stop right there," Stefan said, turning to her. Sophie clamped her mouth shut.

"Now, the Academy may not be able to give any of the luxuries you have here, but I'll tell you what it _will_ give you: Character. Character in spades."

"But I–" Sophie tried to interrupt, but her father gave her a warning glare and she shut back up.

"Starfleet Academy is where I grew from a boy into a man," he went on, a faint twinkle of fondness in his eye as he took her acceptance letter, rechecking the list of required supplies. Sophie just barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She'd heard this speech before. "It was there that I developed a sense of honor, diligence, perseverance…and a work ethic. All things that you clearly lack."

Stefan sighed and looked back at her. "You're a talented girl, Sophie. You're ambitious, charismatic, clever…you could do great things, if you just tried." Sophie straightened up. Now this part of the speech she'd never heard before.

"But you're not willing to _work_ for it! It's like you expect this perfect life to be served to you on a silver platter!" She slumped back down. Back in familiar territory, it seemed.

Sophie tried for an understanding smile. "Father, of course I haven't done anything _yet._ I'm only a teenager! And maybe I haven't been the perfect daughter, but what teenager is?" She giggled, attempting to lighten the mood. "And _of course_ I'm willing to work for a good life. As soon as I graduate, I'm going to Paris. Perhaps do some modeling or fashion design, maybe even develop my own brand of perfume. Then I'll travel the world, and–"

"But _how?_ With who's _money,_ exactly?" Sophie searched for a reply, but found none.

Stefan nodded. "That's the root of the problem, there. You don't have a plan. You have no _direction_. And Starfleet Academy is just the place to fix that. Even if you're not the best student there, four years at the Academy will help you build some much needed _character._ And that's what I really want for you." With that, he snapped her suitcase shut and dragged it out of the room, leaving Sophie standing in silence, alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Sophie had finally crawled off of her bed and halfheartedly begun unpacking and decorating when she heard a knock at the door. She jumped, startled out of her recollections, and stared at it for a few moments, puzzled as to who could be visiting so shortly after her arrival. Then she remembered: her roommate.

Sophie sighed. In a place like this, which seemed like a magnet for those with nothing better to do but watch historical documentaries and daydream about being just like their favorite old space captain in a last-ditch attempt at becoming interesting enough for a social life, the best she could hope for in terms of friends was someone who might be semi-presentable after a makeover. Scratch that, after makeovers. After many, many makeovers. And several posture-correcting sessions. And perhaps a nose job. She smoothed out her dress, fixed her hair, put on a weak smile, and called in the sweetest voice she could muster: "Come in, dear! Door's unlocked!"

The door opened to reveal a slightly taller girl about Sophie's age. Pale skin. Huge bug eyes. Thin lips, curved into a weak smile of her own. And a dark, oily helmet of hair. Sophie's tepid smile broke into a genuine grin. Perhaps not a face as easy to work with as she'd hoped, but even better: a familiar one!

The girl's smile fell, replaced by shock. "Oh, no," she whispered to herself, before the familiar pink and gold blur rushed to the door and crushed her in a hug.

"Agatha, darling," Sophie exclaimed, "it's so good to see you!"

 **A/N: And that's it for Part 1! Part 2 is Aggie-centric, so stay tuned. And by all means, tell me what you think so far!**


	2. Episode 1 - Pilot (Part 2)

**A/N: Ta-da! After a week long delay, here it finally is! Part 2 of the first chapter of SGETrek! Thank you guys so much for all of the positive reviews and encouragement on Part 1. I was seriously worried that the Sci-Fi setting would alienate some people, so it's awesome to know you're enjoying it so far!**

 **I would've had this part out sooner, but I've been moving back into my dorm room the past few days. The room's nice, so its not that much of a drag, but its a tad time consuming. In the future, I wanna get chapters out a tad faster (if that's possible, I'm kind of at the mercy of my own brain here ^^'), so thanks for being patient! As always, thank you to tagathaofwoodsbeyond for proofreading, and another thank you to RavenclawEllie, ever-of-woods-beyond, Story Fan, and princessthornofcassia for the nice reviews. You guys rock!**

* * *

A few days before knocking on the door of Room 212 and coming face to face with the last person she wanted to see, Agatha was on the other side of Gavaldon in her own home. As her mother, Callis, rushed around the house in excitement, Agatha sulked in her dingy attic room, packing her bags with only a pinch more enthusiasm than her roommate.

"Trust me Agatha, you're going to have the time of your life!" Her mother chirped as she came plodding up the creaking stairs with yet another box.

Agatha swallowed. "I'm sure I will, mother," she said, facing the soot-colored stone wall as she packed her things to hide her apprehensive expression.

Callis set the box down with a loud _thunk,_ sending dust flying everywhere and scaring Agatha's cat, Reaper, awake. The old, hairless cat grumbled in annoyance, stretched, then padded across the musty rug to sniff at the box of old school supplies Callis had fished out.

"I just hope you can still use some of this," she worried as she rummaged through junk. "Packed this stuff away when I graduated and it's been rotting here ever since. Sure, it brings back memories, but it's much better off being used by you than–oh! Would you look at this!"

Callis held out an outdated, scratched up blaster with a suspicious green stain on the side, just above the trigger. "My very first training phaser! I know they've probably upgraded since my time at the Academy, but take it with you anyway, won't you dear? Perfectly in line with Academy rules–no 'kill' setting, permanently set to stun–and I'd feel so much better if you had extra."

Agatha smiled weakly as she took the old phaser from Callis. "Thanks, mother." She coughed nervously. "But, erm, we don't use these that often, especially if we're planning on going into science or medical, right?"

"Oh, all the time!" Callis corrected with a grin. Agatha flinched. "Doesn't matter what your position is, you need to know how to defend yourself. You're exploring new parts of the frontier, after all. Never know what you're going to run into. Don't worry, by the time you've graduated, firing that phaser will be as second nature to you as brushing your teeth! I remember, this one time, that idiot Sven–you know the one I'm talking about, right dear? Right–anyway, he got fresh with me in Tactics and Survival once, and, well, I'm not saying that you should go around firing it at whoever you want, but…"

As her mother continued to ramble, Agatha peeked down at the phaser. It felt cold, heavy, and awkward in her hand, like it didn't belong there at all. Even though it was meant for training, and so old she had serious doubts about whether it still worked or not…it felt _dangerous._ She couldn't imagine it being strapped to her hip, let alone actually firing it at something.

"Agatha? Is something the matter?"

Agatha noticed that she'd gone pale (more so than usual) and completely lost track of what her mother was talking about staring at the phaser. She forced a too-wide smile. "No! I'm fine, actually," she reassured. "Just worried about breaking it, that's all."

Callis' face softened, and she patted her daughter on her shoulder. "Well, like I said, I'd rather it be broken and useful than just sitting in the basement."

After a moment, she sighed and gave Agatha's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm just… _so excited for you,_ dear. All the people you're going to meet, all the things you're going to see…" Agatha was slightly alarmed to see that her mother's eyes had grown misty. "It's breathtaking out there, you know. All those stars and planets and galaxies…" Callis said softly. "I can't wait for you to see it." Agatha stared at her mother, eyes wide and unblinking. Callis shook herself out of her reverie and smiled. "Well, I'm going to keep digging around for supplies. Tell me if you think of anything else you might need!"

Agatha watched her mother excitedly trot back downstairs, feeling sick to her stomach. She looked around at her familiar room, her familiar bed, and her familiar cat, trying to memorize what it all looked like before she left it forever. She knew she was doing the right thing, she knew this would make her mother happy, she knew it wasn't like she had anything better to do with her life…

And yet, when her mother spoke of stars, all she could think about was the yawning, unknown void between them, waiting to swallow her whole.

* * *

 _"What are you doing here?!"_ Agatha managed to choke out as Sophie continued to squeeze the life out of her.

"Oh Aggie, it was _awful!"_ Sophie cried, finally releasing her friend. Agatha stumbled back and gasped for air; it turned out Sophie was far stronger than her dainty looks suggested.

"So you know that party at Belle's house a few weeks ago? Well, I couldn't just _not_ go–you know as well as I do that Belle really needs to be put in her place once in a while–but the problem was, my father was making me watch at the shop with _you-know-who_ that night. So I had to skip the shift, and you know what happened? _Absolutely nothing!_ The shop was fine, the hag was fine, it was absolutely _inconsequential_ whether I was there or not. And after the way my father talked, like it would be the end of the world! And as you know, my schedule is very, _very_ full, especially during the Summer, what with the pool party at Tabitha's, the fireworks show by the lake, the keg party at Damien's cousin's place, you know how it is…"

Agatha glowered. She _didn't_ know how it was–she was too creepy to get invited to parties–but either Sophie was too oblivious to realize that, or she just didn't care.

"…so I absolutely _couldn't_ spend my time somewhere I wasn't even _needed_ when I had people clamoring for my presence elsewhere. And when my father found out, he made me take the stupid exam, and I didn't know it was real and I didn't know I passed and I didn't know he actually paid tuition, and then–"

"I think I got it." Agatha interrupted, pinching her forehead to ease the headache she felt herself getting from Sophie's babble. The truth is, she'd seen Sophie during the test (and had strategically seated herself behind a pillar so Sophie wouldn't see her), but she had figured the same thing Sophie had: that it was some sort of outlandish punishment. After all, Sophie barely cared enough to do her algebra homework, let alone take a 3-hour test of her own volition. Now, staring at Sophie, pink frills clashing with the metallic silver of the dorm walls, her eyes wide as saucers and slightly teary, she realized that of course Stefan wouldn't have stopped there. He and her mother had coffee on Sundays, and he'd complained about his daughter's behavior every single time. If, by some miracle, Sophie had actually passed the test, he'd send her away in a heartbeat.

"Then you know how unfair it is!" Sophie complained. "People like me don't belong here! I don't know anything about any of this stuff! And my father will come up with an even _worse_ punishment if I fail out! And even if I _do_ graduate, that's not much better! I mean, no offense, but everyone knew that you would always end up doing something like this," –Agatha shot her a glare at that– "but _me?!_ I refuse to spend my life slaving away on some godforsaken ship on its way to the middle of nowhere!" She fretted, pacing around the room without letting Agatha get a single word in. Suddenly, she stopped and clasped her friend's hands in her own.

"But now that my _best friend_ is here with me…" Sophie started–

Agatha glared and pulled her hands away from Sophie's. "We are _not_ 'best friends,'" she growled.

Sophie giggled. "Oh Aggie, how many times are you going to say that? After all, it hasn't been true for the longest time."

"Yeah right!" Agatha spat. "You're just doing the same thing you did back in Gavaldon: trying to befriend me so you have someone to do your homework and test your potions on," she gestured to the growing stack of creams, lotions, sprays, gels, and powders on Sophie's desk.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Oh, come now, don't be so dramatic, Agatha. You never had to do any of my homework."

"Only because I was never dumb enough to fall for it when you tried to make me. And even then you still copied," Agatha grumbled. She picked up her bags and reached for the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Sophie asked.

"To ask for a roommate swap. We might be in the same school, but that doesn't mean I have to endure living with you."

"You can't!" Sophie cried, grabbing Agatha's hand. Agatha turned to face her, about to yank her hand back–

–when she saw Sophie looking at her with pleading, teary puppy dog eyes, her lower lip quivering. "I'll never make it here all alone, Agatha," she sniffled. "I promise I won't tease you or comment on your hair or try to make you do my homework…just…please. Please… _please_ don't make me room with some smelly cretin I've never even met before."

Agatha looked at her for a few moments, her glare stony and piercing…then sighed and dropped her bags. "Fine. I'll stay. Happy?"

Sophie clapped her hands together. "Yes! I promise I'll be the best roommate ever, Aggie. We'll have a great time, even though we're stuck in this hellhole, you'll see! Maybe we can finally do something about your hair," Sophie twittered, flouncing off to continue arranging bottles on her desk. Agatha rolled her eyes and threw her bags onto her bed, deciding not to remind Sophie that she'd already broken one of her promises.

 _"She's right, I suppose,"_ Agatha thought to herself as she unzipped her first bag, glancing at Sophie out of the corner of her eye. _"Even though I still don't want to be here…at the very least, I'm here with a friend."_ Her fingers hit metal. Startled, she looked into her bag, only to find her mother's phaser staring back at her, sitting ominously between her shapeless black dresses and her worn textbooks. She cleared her throat. "One more thing, Sophie."

Sophie cheerfully whirled around. "Yes?"

"…I know you're not gonna make me do your homework, but this time you can't copy mine either."

Sophie nearly dropped her basket of nail polish. "B-but how will I pass?! Agatha? Agatha! Are you listening?!"

Agatha pushed the phaser deep into her bag and smiled to her herself as she began unpacking her clothes into her small dresser, her best friend still squawking at her behind her back.

 **A/N: Welp, that brings Episode 1 to a close! Next time: the welcoming! Other students! Teachers! Sophie coming to the realization that not everyone at Starfleet Academy is a huge nerd! (Well, they are, just not in the way she was imagining.) All this and more next time on SGETrek!**


	3. Episode 2 - Starfleet Wannabe Losers

**A/N: Before we start this episode, some quick clarification: SGETrek is primarily based on Star Trek TOS (the one from the 60s). This is the iteration I'm the most familiar with, so if there are any factual errors with how Starfleet/the Federation works, there's a 70% chance it's because it wasn't elaborated on in the original series. Furthermore, this version of Starfleet Academy isn't meant to be a perfect replica of the canon one; it's a weird mishmash of elements from the canon Academy and the School for Good and Evil. Same goes for most of the stuff in this story.**

 **That being said, if anyone is interested in the series after reading this, Star Trek TOS is on Netflix and I highly recommend it! (The new movies are pretty good too, just keep in mind they're set in a different universe than the one this fic is based on.)**

 **No new reviews to mention this time, unfortunately. 8( But hey, that might've been my fault for posting this chapter so dang quickly after Episode 1 Part 2 ^^'**

 **Now that that's done with, this is the chapter where we start getting into the Good Stuff™ (aka the beginning of the first story arc) so let's do this!**

* * *

Starfleet Academy's opening convocation was scheduled to start at 8:00 sharp, with doors opening at 7:55. The faculty believed this gave new students plenty of time to get dressed and enjoy breakfast, which opened at 6:00. The few students that did make it enjoyed usually-absent second and third portions and an uncharacteristically empty dining hall; the rest felt the time was better spent showering, applying makeup, panicking, or simply getting an extra hour of sleep.

Either way, most students took extreme care to be awake and ready by at least 7:30, as a late start on the first day would no doubt cause their professors and fellow students to peg them as slackers. Which is why when Agatha strolled back into room 212 after two helpings of French toast and three servings of bacon, she was understandably shocked to find Sophie, still in her pajamas and sporting a cucumber green face mask, sitting at her desk and humming cheerfully while doing her nails.

Sophie finally noticed her staring when the door slid shut. "Mr'nin, Aggie," She mumbled as she carefully painted pastel pink stars on top of her hot pink undercoat.

Agatha just stood there, not quite sure where to start. She eventually settled with "Why are you talking like that?"

"Msk'll crack," Sophie managed to say, briefly looking away from her nails to gesture towards her face.

"I see," said Agatha, nodding slowly. She glanced at the clock on her desk: 7:37. "That's great and all, but you do know what time it is, right? Because at this rate, we might–"

Agatha was interrupted by the alarm on Sophie's phone. Sophie stuck her wet nails under her small desk fan, tapped the alarm with her dry hand, and began slowly peeling off her face mask.

"I'm perfectly aware of the time, darling," she said, misting her face with a glittery pink spray bottle. "And I can assure you, I've cut my morning routine down to the absolute essentials. That being said, I do need to look my best for today."

Agatha raised an eyebrow. "Why so eager to impress the 'smelly cretins' all of the sudden?"

"Agatha, have you ever heard the term 'a big fish in a small pond?'" Sophie asked, examining her finished nails. "Well, think of it this way: I'm probably the most gorgeous, charismatic person most of these people have been allowed within 15 feet of already. All I have to do is look the part, smile a little, endure their presence…and the next four years will be a breeze! I won't _need_ to copy your homework, Aggie. I'll have people lining up to do it _for_ me." She gave her nails a quick puff of air and gave Agatha a toothy grin.

Agatha rolled her eyes. "If you say so. But I'm pretty sure they won't be lining up to do anything for you if we're late on the first day. Which we will be." She pointed to the clock, which now read 7:40.

Sophie stood and examined herself in the wall mirror, touching up her hair one last time. "Usually, I'd agree with you, Aggie. I mean, I haven't even coordinated an outfit yet! But considering the only thing I'm _allowed_ to wear,"–she thrust out a hanger sporting her crisp new Starfleet Academy uniform–"is this abomination, I think we'll be fine."

Agatha grimaced. For once, she couldn't argue with her fashion conscious friend. The Academy uniform was a long sleeved gray–silver, if she was being generous–shirt with the Starfleet logo emblazoned on the upper left chest, accompanied by a pair of pants or a mid length skirt in the same shade. She didn't mind the design, but she could see herself getting sick of it quickly. Add that to the fact that everyone would be wearing virtually the same thing, and that she was being _made_ to wear it, and she wasn't very fond of the uniform either.

"At least no one can be more stylish than you?" Agatha offered weakly.

"True," Sophie conceded as she pulled on and zipped the shirt, wearing a tortured expression. "But then again, that's always been true, hasn't it?" She tossed the pants aside and pulled on the skirt. "I'll have to get this modified," she muttered to herself, examining the hem, which ended just above the knee.

She took a deep breath, strode over to the door, and flipped her hair. "Make way, new subjects," she said as she pressed the "open" button on the door panel. "Here comes Queen SophieeEEEEEK!" Sophie staggered back from the open door after nearly being flattened by a stampede of students in the hall, rushing to get to the opening ceremony.

Agatha burst out laughing as Sophie peeked back out into the hallway, thoroughly shaken. "Told you we'd be late!" She cackled.

Sophie scowled and nervously stepped back into the hall, looking both ways this time. "We're not late. We still have 15 minutes. I timed it out to the _second."_

Agatha smiled, put in considerably better spirits by Sophie's antics. She walked out after her friend and grabbed her wrist, leading her to the auditorium. "Well, come on. If we don't get there soon, we won't get good seats."

Sophie gave her a look. "Oh, of course you're actually excited about–wait, Aggie, not so fast!"

* * *

By the time Agatha and Sophie got to the auditorium entrance, there was already a huge crowd of students waiting for the doors to open at 7:55. In fact, there were so many that the pair could just barely see the doors from about 50 feet away, stuck at the very back of the group with no hope of squeezing through.

Agatha gawked at the crowd in front of them, secretly thankful that at the very least, she wouldn't have to sit in the front. "If we have to sit apart, that's your fault," she whispered to Sophie over the din of the other students.

Sophie didn't hear her. She was frozen in place, gawking for an entirely different reason.

She had expected a lot of things from her new peers: Coke-bottle glasses. Adult braces. Scraggly, unkempt neckbeards and pathetic peach fuzz. Rashes. Pimples. Bad breath. The unbearable stench of sweat, body odor, or foot fungus–probably all three.

She hadn't been expecting them to be hot.

And she certainly hadn't been expecting the aliens.

To her left was a blond haired, barrel chested boy sporting 5 o'clock shadow and rolled up sleeves, showing off hairy arms with thick muscles. He was complaining to the girl next to him, one with straight, blonde hair and topaz colored eyes, about not having enough time to shave. On her right was a girl with one eye, right in the middle of her forehead, chatting with a girl with bright green skin and a regal nose.

She caught flashes of other students in the crowd: a girl with ruby curls talking to a girl with silken black hair and luscious caramel skin…a taller girl with red-streaked black hair and a tattoo on her neck, comparing notes with a ghostly, white-haired beauty with pointed ears–must be half Vulcan, half… _something_ –and a chubby girl with auburn hair and glittery makeup…a dashing-looking boy with dark skin playing a game on his phone as he joked with the baby faced, charming boy and tall, willowy girl next to him…eventually Sophie had to stop looking around so fiercely and asses the situation.

Her hands curled into fists. Competition. She had _competition._ Serious competition for the position of most beautiful person in school at the Academy of Freaks and Losers. Sure, there were kids who fit her expectations somewhat–a scrawny, weasel faced boy with a large nose, an oily, brown skinned boy with a wild mane of long, dark hair, and hey, it's not like the green skinned girl, the cyclops girl, and the chubby girl were winning any beauty pageants (on Earth, at least)–but even then, there was something oddly compelling about them, far more than anyone she knew at home. Confidence, she guessed. In the midst of all the science and math geeks clamoring to get in, she'd forgotten that Starfleet was just shy of being a _military_ organization.

Even worse than the realization that she had competition was the realization that aliens– _actual aliens_ –were going to be her classmates. Not because she had a problem with aliens–Gavaldon was far more progressive than it seemed, despite its low interplanetary population–but because she hadn't realized, until now, that they were going to be here at all.

Sophie felt foolish. Her face was hot, her ears were buzzing, her eyes were swimming… _"How could I have not expected this?!"_ She seethed to herself, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. Of course she knew Starfleet Academy was open to all citizens of the United Federation of Planets, but even then she had expected them to be an anomaly, not a quarter of the student body! If she had just known…if she had just figured out for herself that _of course there were going to be aliens at an Earth-based interplanetary academy for galactic exploration,_ she could've started preparing herself _days_ ago. Now, no matter what she did, chances were she was going to spend her first week gaping at her new classmates instead of charming them. She was going to look like a _hick._

 _"Focus,"_ she chastised herself. _"Just focus, and don't let yourself stare like a buffoon. You can do this."_ She gritted her teeth. _"They're just people. Green, one eyed, pointy eared people. Who are the same age as you but saw more of space on the way to school than you ever have in your whole life…"_

"Hey, Sophie? Are you ok?"

Sophie snapped her head up with a small eep! and saw Agatha, giving her a worried look. "What?" She said, trying to pull herself back to reality.

"I said, 'why are you looking at the floor like that?'"

Sophie blinked. "Oh, you know," she said, searching for an excuse. "Just…getting into character."

Agatha raised an eyebrow. "Getting into character?"

"Yes, darling!" She chirped, getting back into her confident persona. "Y-you know, these people are probably so desperate for friends that it's off putting, yes? So I have to act friendly despite their social ineptitude. It's a matter of politeness, really."

Agatha looked around skeptically. "I don't know, Sophie. They don't look that desperate. Or socially inept. Or smelly, now that you mention it."

Before Sophie had to formulate a response, the auditorium doors unlocked and students began to flow in.

"Yes, well, look alive, Aggie! Just because we're at the back doesn't mean we can't get decent seats!" Sophie began to slowly shuffle forward with the rest of the crowd.

Agatha shrugged. "Well, at the very least, you might be able to get two or three more shallow, brick-headed idiots fawning over you here. To complement the 17 at home?" She teased, nudging Sophie in the arm.

Sophie laughed a bit, then suddenly stopped. _"That's true,"_ she thought. _"That's very, very true."_

* * *

As it turned out, being at the back of the crowd _did_ mean they couldn't get good seats. The auditorium consisted of a large, circular stage with a presentation screen on the back wall, the dark blue seats separated by three silver aisles. The stage was flanked on each side by long banners: the right one sported the Starfleet emblem, while the left one showcased the Federation emblem. Agatha and Sophie ended up sitting near the back of the theater on either side of the center aisle, with Agatha on the right and Sophie on the left.

Agatha reluctantly settled down in her seat next to an adorable girl with dark brown hair in flowery pigtails, who kept herself occupied doing her lip gloss. The girl turned as Agatha sat down and smiled in greeting.

"Hi! I'm Kiko," she said, far too cheerful for morning. "What's your name?"

"Agatha," she mumbled, giving a quick nod and lifting her hand up in a halfhearted wave. Agatha had never been good at introductions, and it looked like the change of scenery wasn't about to fix that.

"Oh," Kiko said, a little disheartened. Quickly recovering from Agatha's lack of enthusiasm, Kiko's smile returned and she continued to address her. "Do you want to borrow some lip gloss? Your lips look a little dry… _oh!_ I'm sorry if that seemed rude, don't worry, I get it! They didn't give us nearly enough time to get ready."

The back of Agatha's neck turned red and she readied her best scowl, about to take offense…then stopped herself. She'd spent her whole life in Gavaldon snapping at people, what was the point of doing it all over again here? Besides, it was too early in the morning to get that angry.

Agatha exhaled and returned Kiko's smile. "Sure. Do you have anything in light pink?"

Kiko's smile widened and she thrust a tube towards Agatha. "You can keep it if you want. I have a million!"

Agatha beamed as she took the lip gloss from Kiko. Maybe she wasn't as rotten at making friends as she thought.

Sophie wasn't nearly as lucky with her seating arrangements. She was stuck next to the tattooed girl she'd noticed earlier, who neglected to introduce herself at all and took up the entire armrest. Sophie shivered looking at her buck horned demon tattoo–if she didn't know any better, she'd swear it was staring at her. As the two girls texted back and forth, telling each other about their respective neighbors, they noticed the theater had suddenly gone much quieter.

"Oh my gosh, is that…?" Kiko whispered to Agatha.

Agatha looked up, and her jaw nearly dropped.

Onstage was a dog with _two heads,_ standing patiently at the podium, seemingly waiting for the students to settle down. The right head was cute and cuddly, the left looked vicious and cranky, and both wore silver collars with twin blue lights glowing dimly on the front.

Agatha shot a glance at Sophie, who looked just as confused as she did. "Where's the speaker?" She whispered to Kiko.

"I don't know," she whispered back. "You..you don't think–?"

"No way, that's not even–"

"Good Morning, students," the left head said in a singsong voice, "and welcome to Starfleet Academy." The small light on his collar glowed brighter every time he spoke.

This time, neither Sophie, Agatha, or even Kiko could keep their mouths from falling open.

"As some of you may know, my name is Pollux, professor of Interplanetary Etiquette and Cultural Sensitivity, as well as event coordinator and head of extracurricular activities."

"AND I'M CASTOR, ALSO A PROFESSOR OF INTERPLANETARY NONSENSE AND CULTURAL WHATEVER," the meaner head barked in a rough, gravelly voice. "AND HEAD OF DISCIPLINE, SO SHUT UP, STAY SEATED, AND BEHAVE YOURSELVES IF YOU KNOW WHATS GOOD FOR YOU!"

Agatha continued staring in astonishment. Aside from the fact that a _talking, two headed dog_ was in charge of the welcoming ceremony, how on _Earth_ had the snarling head kept a job as an _Etiquette and Cultural Sensitivity teacher?_ And how could they have such vastly different duties if they _shared a body?_ Agatha furiously tapped out messages to Sophie, glancing back and forth between her phone and the stage.

"Our planet was discovered 35 years ago by a Starfleet exploration vessel," Pollux continued, "and, though our government has not yet officially joined the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet's mission statement of pure exploration and scientific discovery moved us so deeply–"

"MOVED _ONE_ OF US SO DEEPLY." Castor snarled.

Pollux shot him a look and cleared his throat, going back to his speech. "–it moved us so deeply that we immediately applied for citizenship and began teaching here, hoping to expand the hearts and minds of Starfleet's next generation."

Agatha noticed that Sophie's messages had stopped coming and looked across the aisle at her. To Agatha's surprise, Sophie wasn't looking at her phone or the stage; rather, she propped up her chin with one hand and kept her eyes fixed to the back of the seat in front of her, looking completely spaced out.

Agatha shook her head. _"I've got to start making her eat breakfast,"_ she thought. _"She'll never pass her classes if she's like this in the morning."_

In reality, Sophie wasn't spaced out, but lost in deep thought. After the shock of seeing the two headed, talking animal wore off, Sophie got back down to business: coming up with a plan to ensure that, despite the unexpected circumstances, she remained the most popular and envied person in whatever space she currently occupied. Her best idea so far had actually come from Agatha, of all people; in Gavaldon Sophie had only needed herself to remain at the top of the food chain, but a school this size would require a little more firepower. In a class this large, it was a two-man job.

A _power couple's_ job, specifically.

Sophie mentally listed all the boys she'd seen at school thus far, searching for the right man for the job. Weasel Boy and Hairy were right out, obviously. Baby Face and Mr. Dashing were cute enough, but didn't quite have the classic combination of charm and charisma she was looking for. Maybe the burly blond boy? He seemed close enough–maybe not _quarterback_ popular, but definitely linebacker–and he did seem to like blondes…

Both Pollux's speech and Sophie's train of thought were rudely interrupted as the auditorium doors swung open, and everyone turned to face the culprit.

Gasps sounded from a number of students, girls and boys both.

The boy responsible for the interruption strode into the auditorium and down the aisle, slowly, confidently, as if there was no rush at all. His face was chiseled, his eyes were crystal blue, and his hair was the color of spun gold; he was so handsome that he made the drab gray of the Academy uniform look better, just by merit of being on his body. Pollux glared at him as he made his way down the aisle and took a seat next to the burly boy in the front row, who grinned and kicked his bag off the seat next to him to make room.

"Who _is_ that?" Sophie breathed, so entranced she forgot she was speaking out loud.

"What, do you live under a rock?"

Sophie jumped and turned to face the speaker: the tattooed girl next to her, who was currently sneering at the golden boy.

"That's Tedros Pendragon. Thinks he owns the place just cause his daddy was a big shot in Starfleet. Do yourself a favor and steer clear. He's an ass."

With that, she turned back to her cohorts and resumed ignoring Sophie.

 _"Pendragon, Pendragon, Pendragon…where have I heard that name before?"_ Sophie thought, struggling to keep herself from publicly drooling. She examined his golden hair, his handsome face, his confident stride…

Then she remembered.

Pendragon, one of Starfleet's most beloved captains.

Pendragon, who's face was plastered on every girl's wall when her mother was still young; even the non-nerdy ones.

Pendragon, who had stopped the destruction of Earth and many other planets due to interplanetary war too many times to count.

That Pendragon.

 _Captain Arthur_ Pendragon.

 _And his son was sitting in the front row, only a few dozen feet separating them._

Sophie barely stopped herself from fainting with glee.

Meanwhile, Agatha was less than impressed. She watched this puffed up meathead swagger down the aisle, as if the whole world revolved around him, and nearly gagged. If there was one thing she hated more than shallowness, it was entitlement.

 _"Can you believe this guy?"_ She tapped out to Sophie, eager to hear her friend break down all the flaws in his entrance and how she would've done it better.

But Sophie was still staring at the back of Tedros' head, completely transfixed.

She hadn't just found the perfect partner to enact her plan with.

She'd found her prince.

* * *

 **A/N: Phew! A looooot of stuff just happened! First of all, Agatha's resolution not to snap at people anymore? Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.**

 **Secondly, I know it seems like I've shoved Coven 66 into a supporting role, but don't fret! They'll be stepping into the spotlight very soon.**

 **Third and finally: this is my first time writing characters other than Sophie, Agatha, and their parents, so please give me feedback! I'm always open to tweaking stuff that doesn't work.**

 **Next time: Schedules, first classes, scheming, and even more screentime for other students! Stay tuned!**


End file.
